Shards of Time
by A.L.Lace
Summary: The battle in the Department of Mysteries takes an unexpected turn when Harry, Sirius and Remus are caught in an explosion. Waking up in 1975, the three find themselves with a seemingly impossible task.
1. Chapter 1

Some parts in this first chapter are taken from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 35, Beyond the Veil. These parts are in bold. Also in this first chapter, there may be some other similarities to the book.

Chapter 1

 **He was falling down steep stone step after steep stone step, bouncing on every tier until at last, with a crash that knocked all the breath out of his body, he landed flat on his back in the sunken pit where the stone archway stood on its dais. The whole room was ringing with the Death Eaters' laughter: he looked up and saw the five who had been in the Brain Room descending on him, while as many more emerged through other doorways and began leaping from bench to bench towards him. Harry got to his feet though his legs were trembling so badly they barely supported him: the prophecy was still miraculously unbroken in his left hand, his wand clutched tightly in his right. He backed away, looking around, trying to keep all the Death Eaters within sight. The back of his legs hit something solid: he had reached the dais where the archway stood. He climbed backwards onto it.**

That's when Harry noticed the difference in the room, it was lighter now and instead of the stone benches that had once circled the whole room, the far-right side of the archway had been taken up by a neat row of towering shelves that looked less than structurally sound in Harry's opinion. Each shelf housed jars of all different sizes and colours, some of which Harry wouldn't be able to describe even if he spent hours staring at it.

But that wasn't what had drawn his eye, rather the eerie glow emanating from one of the smallest jars; a soft, whispering beat, beat; like the rhythm of a heart that seemed to impossibly fill the room. Harry felt a calm wash over him as he stared at it, it was talking to him he was sure, but not in the way the arch talked to him, those voices where sharp and urgent, this voice was safe. This voice was family.

" **Potter, your race is run"** The silky drawl of Lucius Malfoy pulled Harry from his sanctuary, and as his attention wavered from the mysterious jars he felt the calm drain away, leaving him bare and exposed to the cold of the stone room.

"What?" Harry said before his brain had chance to catch up, the sudden deprivation of the safety that the jar had provided leaving him somewhat unbalanced. The sound of laughter brought him back to the present and he threw his wand up in defence as he remembered the room full of Death Eaters, and the prophecy clutched in his hand.

"Tut, tut, Potter" Malfoy smirked "Perhaps not all that intelligent after all" He said, voice thick with condescendence as another smattering of laughter rolled round the Death Eaters in the room. None of them seemed phased by the jars and Harry noted that now his attention was diverted the jar was silent and had no effect on him.

"I'll give it to you" Harry blurted out, nodding to the prophecy. "Let my friends go and I'll give it to you."

The smirk still solidly in place, Malfoy opened his mouth to respond but Harry never got to hear it as at that moment a sudden shout drew all their attentions.

"NO! DON'D HARRY!" Neville's voice burst from one of the doorways and Harry felt his heart sink slightly, why couldn't he have just stayed far away from this mess? Somewhere he was less likely to be killed instantly.

"DON'D GIB ID DO DEM" The bloodied faced boy had appeared at the top of the room, Hermione's wand moving frantically to cover as many of the Death Eater's as possible.

"Oh dear." Malfoy scoffed sarcastically "The cavalry has arrived. Seems as though we will have no other option that to comply. Longbottom isn't it?" Harry noted there seemed to be a note of disgust in his tone as he studied Neville and he felt his anger spike at the idea that the cowardly man thought himself somehow superior to Neville.

Harry was startled as a manic screech of glee tore through the room. He whipped his head round to the sound, diligently ignoring the shelves of jars that no one else seemed to see.

Bellatrix was looking at the trembling figure that was Neville, her face though still haggard and ugly, was inexplicably transformed with a stomach churning excitement and Harry felt his own terror reflected on Neville's face.

But that wasn't all, Harry realised, there was something else in the normally reserved boy's face; a deep rage in Neville's eyes and Harry knew before it happened that the other boy was about to do something stupid.

"INCENDIO!" Neville screamed, blood spitting from his mouth. The stone bench Bellatrix had been stood on exploded in fierce flames and the demented woman was seemingly engulfed in fire. Harry thought he saw her body thrown to the floor a few feet away but he couldn't say for certain because with the impact of Neville's spell all hell broke loose.

"CRUCIO!"

"STUPEFY"

"REDUCTO"

"AVADA KEDAVA"

"STUPEFY…. STUPEFY!"

"IMPEDIMENTA. EXPELLIARMUS"

Spells rained down on Harry, the constant flashes of light were blinding and he couldn't even tell if Neville was still standing.

The Death Eaters obviously no longer cared about keeping the prophecy safe, and Harry even thought he saw the ominous green of a killing curse fly past his left ear, narrowly missing him. He ducked, keeping his head low and wand out as he ran for cover behind the shelves of jars.

"REDUCTO!" He shouted, sending one of the stone benches flying violently into a million pieces and successfully taking out three anonymous Death Eaters who had been heading his way.

"NO, YOU INCOMPETENT IDIOTS! THE PROPHECY! GET THE PROPHECY!" Malfoy's usually composed voice screamed, and although he couldn't see him, Harry had a sudden vision of Uncle Vernon; his face puce, spittle flying from the corners of his mouth and an unhealthy-looking vein pulsing in his forehead.

As Harry reached the cover of the shelves he frantically looked round, trying to get a glance of the other boy, any sign that Neville had survived.

Spell's were still flying through the air on the other side of the shelves, the Death Eaters hadn't realised his hiding spot, too busy recklessly tossing spells about to realise they were only attacking each other now and that their only two opponents were nowhere in sight.

He looked to the top of the steps, the last place he had seen Neville in the hope of seeing him there still. It was empty, the steps he had been stood on had been destroyed, scorch marks and rubble the only remaining evidence. Harry wanted to call for him, but knew to do so would give away his position, he would never be able to take on all the Death Eaters alone. It was only a matter of time as it was before he was found and killed, and somehow Harry was loathed to cut his life even shorter than it already appeared it was going to be. He just hoped some of the others would make it out.

At that moment, Harry saw a dark figure shift in the corner of his eye. About 15 feet away from Neville's last position there was a bloodied Death Eater, half his mask blown away and his eyes wild. He was moving along the top of the room, his gaze seemingly fixed on a point just ahead of him. Harry followed his gaze and with a jolt that almost froze his heart he realised the Death Eater was stalking a still prone figure. It was Neville. The boy was motionless, his face barely visible beneath layers of grime and blood and Harry felt the worse feeling go through him yet again that night. The feeling that yet another innocent life was lost because of him.

Before he had even realised what had happened Harry found himself once more facing the spells head on as he sprinted across the room, the pulsing glow of the jar and voices from the arch making it even more disorientating but the intense need to get to Neville pushing him forward regardless.

"FLIPENDO" The Death Eater that had almost been upon Neville was tossed backwards in a flail of undignified limbs, landing in a mangled heap and not moving again.

"Neville! Neville!" Harry called urgently as he reached the other boy, hands hesitating only slightly as they reached to check his pulse, unintentionally copying Neville's actions from earlier when Hermione had been hit by the unknown spell.

"Urgh… Harry?" Neville's voice was slow and slurred but it made Harry momentarily dizzy with relief that Neville was actually alive and well, if more than a little battered.

"M'fine" Neville said in a voice that was so far from fine it actually made Harry want to snort at the ridiculousness of the statement.

"Here, we need to get out" Harry told the other boy, wrapping his arms around his torso and making to heave him to his feet.

However, he didn't get far in his efforts, as he suddenly felt his legs pulled from beneath him. In what was perhaps his most ungraceful move yet, Harry once again found himself flat on his back and without breath. A soft groan beside him told him Neville had suffered the same fate. As he laid there, focusing on regaining his breath and stopping the now sickening spinning in his head, Harry realised the room had fallen into silence and calm, the pulsing of the jar once again being the only light.

"Really, Potter. Didn't that fool Dumbledore ever teach you to watch your back?" Malfoy's smarmy face slide into view above him and Harry found himself silently cursing. Stupid! Stupid! How could he have been so stupid?

So completely consuming was his need to ensure he hadn't been responsible for another friend lost he had left both of them vulnerable and probably sealed their fates.

"I'll take that." Malfoy effortlessly swiped the prophecy from Harry's loose grip. He apprised the unimposing orb with a self-satisfied smirk and a contented sigh.

"Thank you, Potter. You have been so helpful." The blonde wizard aimed his wand and the fallen boys face and Harry felt a horrendous fear seize him as he realised this truly was the end. He sent a silent apology to Neville.

"ADAVA KEDA-"

"STUPEFY!" Quicker than Harry though possible, Malfoy disappeared from his line of sight, the power of the spell used, sending him hurtling off his feet and into one of the many stone benches with a resounding crunch, the man unconscious long before he made his impact.

The suddenness of the spell not only shocked the remaining Death Eaters into motionless but it also caused the prophecy to fall from Malfoy's grasp as he was catapulted away. It was only Harry's seeker honed reflexes that allowed the young, trembling wizard to catch the thing before it smashed into his face.

As quick as he had caught the prophecy, Harry launched to his feet, a quick glance at Neville confirmed that the boy was still alive and staring in open mouthed relief at the new comers.

"Sirius!" Harry almost cried, finally catching sight of their newly arrived rescuers.

Sirius, Lupin and Tonks were stood on the far side of the room, Sirius' wand still pointing at where Malfoy had been standing, a murderous look on his face. Harry felt a mixture of fear and relief at the sight. Relief that backup had arrived but also a great fear for Sirius' safety.

The irony wasn't missed on Harry, moments ago he and Neville had been literally looking certain death in the face yet it was the full-grown wizard's safety he feared for. Harry just couldn't help the irrational terror, Sirius was his only family and the thought of losing him left him feeling horrifically hollow.

His godfather didn't get chance to reply as in yet another moment the battle was once more on, the two dozen or so Death Eaters broke free from their stupor as one and as fierce as ever attacked their new opponents.

"AVADA KEDAVA!" Harry launched himself sideways as a jet of green whizzed by him, he didn't even get a chance to raise his wand to respond as the offending Death Eater that had been rapidly approaching was slammed with a barrage of nasty looking spells that left him unresponsive in a pool of blood. Harry didn't want to guess at whether he was alive or not.

Looking over to where the spells had come from Harry saw Sirius, and somewhat surprisingly, Lupin with their wands trained on the now fallen Death Eater; evidently neither of them were overly chuffed with the dark wizards attempt on Harry's life.

"Harry!" Neville's worried shout caught Harry's attention, the other boy was more alert now and they both became suddenly aware of their prone position.

For the time being there were no more Death Eaters or their spells heading their way but both boys knew it would only be so long before someone decided attacking Harry and Neville was worth the apparently lethal wrath of Sirius and Lupin.

"Come on we need to get out" Harry told the other boy, pulling the both of them to their feet, and with more care than he had last time, pushed Neville in the direction of the nearest door. Shooting a few spells behind him as did just in case one of the Death Eaters choose to take advantage of his turned back as Malfoy had.

Reaching the door, Neville flung it open and hobbled through. Faced once more with the revolving room, Harry knew he couldn't go – he couldn't leave the three order members surrounded and outnumbered.

"Neville, go find the others. Make sure they're ok." Harry said hurriedly as Neville swung sharply, if a little unsteadily to him.

"I'm not leaving you Harry!" he said firmly.

"I'll be fine, I have to help Sirius." With that Harry slammed the door shut, cutting off any protests the other teen had been attempting and knowing that the likely hood of Neville finding this room again quickly was slim, even if he was smart enough to remember the spell Hermione had used.

Harry turned, not eager to leave himself exposed for too long. Immediately he found himself ducking, just in time, as a mean looking violet curse slammed into the door. The force of the spell caused Harry to be catapulted forwards, his hands rushing to cover his head as an image of splintered wood exploding in all direction passed through his mind.

Harry almost cursed thinking of the hole most definitely blown in the door and how it was probably going to be a big give away to Neville as to which room to choose. Now on his stomach Harry hurried to his hands and knees and crawled along the floor to take cover behind one of the marginally unscathed benches, a feat made awkward by the prophecy.

Once situated and fairly out of sight Harry gave the door a quick glance over his shoulder, hoping if Neville had come though he would have the sense to find a bench of his own to crouch by. Harry however had to do a double take. To his utter amazement, the door was completely unmarred and still stood solid, the powerfully spell had merely bounced off the wood harmlessly, Harry instead taking the impact of its rebound.

Taking some comfort in the knowledge that the door would hold strong, Harry turned his full attention to the sunken room, catching a glimpse of his godfather in the middle of it.

Sirius was fully engaged in a battle with two or three Death Eaters, backed up by a few other Order members that had arrived.

Seeing a Death Eater approaching behind one of the freshly arrived members, Harry barely had time to think of the spell before shooting it out. Kingsley, who had been the intended victim turned sharply as he heard the Death Eater fall behind him, he swiveled his head about the room, attempting to see who had helped him but he didn't see Harry and seemed to quickly dismiss the matter as he saw another Death Eater come his way.

Harry felt a twinge of anger at himself for hiding. Fighting a battle from behind a pile of rock seemed cowardly and far too Slytherin for him, but then again that Death Eater had himself been sneaking up behind his opponent, intending to attack a man with his back turned. Perhaps a taste of his own medicine was just.

Looking about the room, Harry saw several more Death Eaters attempting to pull similar lowly stunts, firing the nastiest curses at turned backs of various order members.

Fighting every urge to fling himself in the middle of the battle, Harry stayed put, aiming his wand and sending off quiet hexes and curses to those Death Eaters that attempted the cowardly move.

Harry was kept busy enough but there was only so much he could take, the positioning itself was causing every Gryffindor fibre in his body to scream and protest, and although plenty of the Death Eaters were more than eager to only attack the backs of their opponents, there were plenty more that had no problem facing them head on. The barrage of spells was seemingly never ending.

Harry was barely making an impact and despite the young wizards best efforts to protect everyone from his spot, he could do nothing but watch too late as a number of the order members were struck down by the underhand tactics of the Death Eaters.

A spell crashed into Tonks' back and Harry almost screamed in anger at his failure- the fight was to ferocious, he was unable to keep all opponents in his sight.

Harry did however see McNair throw his cracked mask to the ground and with a gnarled frown, raise his wand to Sirius. His godfather hadn't noticed the threat, too busy in a duel with a wizard that reminded Harry of Crabbe.

Harry reached his limit.

"Sirius!" he burst from his spot, not caring the attention he had drawn to himself with the loud shout.

"Expelliarmus!" He shouted without missing a beat, McNair's wand flying towards him while his body flew backwards. Harry let the wand dart past him, knowing it would likely be lost in the carnage, and instead ran the rest of the way down he steps, somehow managing not to trip as he hurtled towards the shelves and towards the Sirius.

At Harry's shout, Sirius had looked up, evidently shocked to see his godson still in the room before turning quickly to glance at where McNair had been. Harry could see a flash of something pass over his face, but Sirius didn't seem to let whatever it was distract him and in barely a moment he had turned back to Crabbe. With a growl, he hit the Death Eater with a painful looking jinx that sent him to the floor howling in agony as his skin began swelling and cracking.

"Harry! What are you doing?" Sirius turned to his godson, but his attention wasn't on him, it was still on the battle. He grabbed Harry by the shoulder in a bruising grip and pulled him behind him. Lupin moved in from the side and stationed himself next to Sirius, a hard look on his face. The two men acted as guards, or more likely shields, to the boy who lived.

Harry, now sandwiched between the two friends and the shelves felt an incredulous anger swell in him at being treated like a child, and by Sirius none the less.

"Sirius." He warned, his voice tight

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked instead over his shoulder, apparently missing or more probably wilfully ignoring Harry's anger.

His voice seemed far less rushed now and Harry realised that the emotion he had seen in the man when he first approached had been panic, and maybe even fear for Harry, although he couldn't be certain.

When he thought about it, everything about his godfather had screamed panic. Even now his body was held tight and stiff, although his shoulders had now dropped ever so slightly, not as tense as they had been just a minute or so prior.

Surveying the room showed Harry the reason for this, only three or four Death Eaters remained and Mad-Eye Moody's furious hail of spell after spell was keeping them more than occupied. It wasn't long at all before the remaining few were incapacitated.

"Harry?" Sirius now turned fully to Harry, finally willing to give him his full attention now that the danger was seemingly defeated.

Harry, realising he hadn't answered Sirius, rushed to reply.

"Yeah, yeah Sirius. I'm fine." Harry was suddenly hit by the memory of his vision, and although Sirius was stood right in front of him, looking for the most part well (disregarding the odd bump and cut he had picked up during the battle), Harry couldn't help the overwhelming dread at the fact that Voldemort had been torturing him. That he was almost murdered.

"What about you?" Harry was talking fast, stumbling over his words. "Voldemort, he had you. What did he do? How did you get away? Are you ok-"

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down, Harry." Sirius interrupted his stream of questions.

"What are you talking about?" Sirius was looking at Harry with worry and Harry felt a niggle of anger at his godfather feigning ignorance. Why was he denying it?

"I saw it Sirius!" Harry's voice was hard but still lined with his own worry.

"In a vision. Voldemort had you and he was torturing you!" Harry looked between Sirius and Lupin who had now also turned to face Harry. Sirius was frowning in confusion and Lupin looked concerned, but Harry was fairly certain his concern wasn't aimed at his friend, but Harry instead.

"Nobody had Sirius, Harry." Lupin finally said, slowly.

It was Harry's turn to frown in confusion now. He felt confunded.

Neither man seemed to be lying, both seemed genuinely confused in fact. But his vision, it had been so clear.

"But… but I saw it?" it was all Harry could say.

"I promise you, Harry. Voldemort didn't have me. I wasn't tortured." Sirius put his hands on Harry's shoulder, looking him in the eyes. "I don't know what you saw-"

Harry opened his mouth, ready to argue how real his vision had been and that he wasn't making it up, but Sirius was quick to counter him, speaking before he could.

"I don't doubt you saw something, not even for a second. But I promise you it wasn't me." Sirius was staring, unblinkingly into Harry's eyes, and Harry didn't miss the sincerity in his gaze. He was telling the truth.

"As if old Voldemort could catch me." Sirius smirked arrogantly, ending the gaze in a moment, his serious demeanour vanishing with it as he attempted to lighten the mood.

Harry however, was still somewhat lost in his confusion and only managed a half, non-committed smile while Lupin merely rolled his eyes at his friend's poor attempt at humour.

"Don't even try it, you!" Moody's gruff voice broke through the three of them, and they all turned to look. Moody was stood over a groaning Death Eater, it looked as though he had been attempting an escape when a swift kick from Moody left him winded. A quick silent spell from the experienced ex-Auror and the Death Eater was shackled. In fact, looking about the room, the majority of those who had been too injured to flee were now shackled, Lucius Malfoy included, much too Harry's delight.

Moody was moving quickly between the Death Eaters, ensure they were all restrained. Harry noted with some puzzlement that Mad-Eye seemed to be giving all the Death Eaters a hard kick, even those who were unconscious.

One in particular he gave a good three kicks too. Sirius laughed as he did and threw an arm over Harry's shoulder, obviously enjoying that particular Death Eater getting a booting.

"One more for luck, Mad-Eye." Sirius shouted when it seemed Moody was about to move on from the thoroughly abused Death Eater. Moody grunted but complied none-the-less.

"That's Rookwood. Sneaky bastard took out Tonks with a nasty little hex." Sirius explained, the smile on his face negating the seriousness of what he just said.

"Ehhh… she'll be alright though. Right?" Harry asked, remembering the screech Tonks had made when she was hit with the hex.

"Oh yeah, of course. A nasty hex but nothing more than fifth year level. Think your dad did worse to me." Sirius clarified, smiling wickedly at his godson.

Harry looked away from Sirius, feeling for some reason uncomfortable. Sirius was trying too hard. The jokes, the mention of his dad and the arm over his shoulder. None of it could fully hide the light of concern in Sirius' eyes when he looked at Harry. Lupin's worry was even more evident, the werewolf obviously not concerned with facades.

Harry felt slightly sick, was Voldemort really able to put false memories in his mind? What did it mean if he could? Nothing good that's for sure.

He had a sudden thought of Voldemort in his mind, watching him and creating whole false realities that Harry would never even be able to tell were fake.

Harry felt real, true fear at Voldemort doing just that, at controlling him… possessing him.

Harry's mind was in turmoil. He saw a shadow at the top of the room moving, curling as it reached out for him, he gasped aloud and took a physical step back.

"Everything alright, Harry?" Lupin asked, Harry's eyes snapped to him and he saw the older man share a quick look with Sirius.

Harry just nodded silently, steadfast ignoring Sirius. He wasn't sure he could deal with the fake smile again, and honestly, he was 100% certain he would completely break down on the spot if he saw the level of concern on Lupin's face reflected on his godfathers.

Although, saying that, Harry couldn't help but think that The Boy Who Lived ending up in the secure ward of St. Mungo's would be the obvious end to the year. It wasn't like most people weren't expecting it anyway.

Steeling himself, Harry looked back to the shadows. If Voldemort really was in his head, the least Harry could do was face him head on.

Catching sight of the fluttering shadow again, Harry frowned as he finally realised what it was he was actually looking at. It wasn't some nightmarish vision sent by the dark lord to deceive and murder him. It was a robe.

Harry's heart seemed to freeze as he felt a whole different panic settle in him. It was a robe, a Death Eater robe.

"Watch out!" Harry's scream barely had time to register with the rooms occupants before Bellatrix Lestrange launched herself from the shadows, her robes and skin charred and bloody and her voice shrill as she sent a curse careering towards Harry, Lupin and Sirius.

"CONFRINGO!"

Harry had never seen a curse travel so fast, it was as though Bellatrix had been stood a mere five feet away and not on the other side of the cavernous room. It all happened in a split second, and although Harry saw Lupin attempt to raise his wand in defence, there was surely no way anyone could react in time.

It was therefore a testament to Sirius' skills that he managed to move so fast. Just as Harry had, he must have realised that attempting a defence would prove fruitless and instead, acting on pure instinct, Sirius threw himself over Harry.

In a millisecond, Harry's world went dark and heavy, he never even got to see whether or not Lupin got his wand up in time, although considering what followed swiftly, Harry assumed not.

Smothered by his godfather's robes, Harry was unable to even draw a breath before the curse hit with a devastating explosion that sent the two of them flying off their feet.

Through a haze, Harry desperately clutched Sirius' now limp body. They still seemed to be falling and Harry was rapidly losing a battle against the encroaching darkness. As darkness took him, Harry felt a strong hand grasp his arm.

Then he knew no more.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: First things first I want to you so much for your feedback, it's incredible helpful and much appreciated.

Second, I want to apologise. Just after posting the first chapter I unexpectedly got a job and since then I've barely had time to breathe and it's been nearly impossible to find the time and energy for writing.

On top of that, I decided that the chapters I had already written needed rewriting, I had over 20 pages written for this and thought I would be nice and on top of things, but to be honest it was just pages and pages of pure crap so I scrapped it all and started again, and while I'm still not really happy, it's better than it was.

 **Chapter 2**

 _Harry felt as though he had been kissed by a Dementor, he was drowning in his worst memories and he felt empty, lost and weightless._

 _"Kill the spare!" Harry was forced to watch as the flash of green engulfed Cedric, leaving behind his still corpse. It was a scene that haunted his dreams every night and seemed engraved forever on the back of his eyelids._

 _"CEDRIC!" The scream tore from Harry's throat yet no sound reached his ears, his vocal cords strained and scratched but no noise erupted. He tried running forward instead, towards the murdered boy, but his limbs wouldn't respond; that wasn't right, Harry didn't remember being hit by an impedimenta that night._

 _Without warning the scene changed, and with a sensation not dissimilar to a portkey, Harry was snatched away. He found himself this time surrounded not by Death Eaters, but fire; he was facing the possessed Quirrell. The Philosophers stone was clutched tightly in his hand and he could do nothing but watch as the man lunged for him and his limbs once again stuck still._

 _Opening his eyes without realising he had even closed them, Harry let out a soundless cry as he was confronted by the 11-year-old, lifeless body of Ginny Weasley._

 _He was in the chamber; the basilisk hadn't yet appeared but Harry knew that if he turned his head to the left he would see the young, smirking face of Riddle. The psychotic teen should have been miles away in likeness to the creature Harry had seen resurrected in the graveyard, but somehow Harry felt there was very little to distinguish them. The pure evil lurking in Riddles eyes would never change._

 _As Riddle's laugh reverberated around the room, Harry once more attempted to push his limbs forward. His desperation was not only to get to Ginny, but also to get away from Voldemort._

 _Tears burned their way down his cheeks as his desperation mounted. He was moving, but not fast enough. It was like moving through water, but harder; there was an impossible force working against him. He was getting closer every second, if he could just reach her, he could save her. He could save them all._

 _Just as his fingers finally made contact with Ginny's cold body, Harry was ripped away into a crushing darkness._

 _He was enclosed by something more than utter blackness. Nothingness. It was as though the world had no up or down, left or right, here nor there. His ears were ringing, everything about the situation was disorientating._

 _Harry was reminded of the time he had been in Quidditch practice, and a shout from Wood had distracted him just as a Bludger was accidentally hit in his direction by Fred and George. The resulting impact had left his skull pounding and ringing, and the voices of his team mates sounding distant._

 _Harry tried to move, to orientate himself in the muffled darkness. He couldn't tell if he had been successful or not, and in all honestly it made Harry question whether or not he even had limbs at all._

 _A scream tore through the darkness and despite being somewhat dampened and distant, it instantly cut at Harry. It was a woman's scream, and it was all to sickeningly familiar. The chill that ran through Harry and the way his heart clenched convinced him he must still have a body, and he redoubled his efforts to move it._

 _He pushed and he pushed, the ringing in his head had reached an unbearable level but not even for a second did he allow himself to let up. She was dying. His mum was dying and he couldn't get her. She was dying because of him._

 _"Please, not Harry!" She was further away and Harry almost cried in frustration. He was moving towards her, at least he was trying; how could she be further away?_

 _Harry tried screaming for her, tried to warn her. He wanted to tell her to just run._

 _Of course, nothing happened. As always, Harry was powerless._

 _He was failing her, just as he had Cedric and just as he surely would everyone else. Because of him everyone he cared for, and many more, would end up hurt. He wasn't good enough, fast enough, smart enough or strong enough. No matter how hard he tried he just wasn't enough._

 _The world once again changed around him. Harry wanted it to be over.  
_

 _"I'm sorry." He whispered, feeling broken and paying no mind to the fact he once more had a voice, and apparently full control over his body. Instead he just buried his head into his drawn-up knees and sobbed silently, knowing it was too late to save him mum by now._

 _An icy draft bit at Harry's bare ankles and he shivered against the cold. He lifted his head, almost afraid of what he's be confronted with next._

 _Rather than some grizzly, traumatising scene from Harry's past, the only thing Harry noted was that he was now no longer surrounded by utter darkness. There was enough light filtering through the door for him to make out his cupboard under the stairs._

 _Harry's teeth chattered as another frigid breeze whistled through the bottom of the door, the moon light that managed to break through the cracks served only to make the small space seem icier._

 _It forcibly reminded Harry of the many winters he'd spent alone and freezing in his cupboard while his relatives slept soundly upstairs, content to forget their despised nephew's existence._

 _The cold would ache his bones, the thin threadbare blanket he had slept under didn't even come close to offering protection from the gnawing air._

 _Harry curled into himself tighter in an effort to keep some warmth in his trembling body and tried to figure out why he was here._

 _"IT'S CHRISTMAS!" The sudden joyous screech from above caused Harry to jolt from his ball as he realised which memory this was. He was shocked, it was one that until this moment he scarcely remembered._

 _"MUMMY! DADDY! WAKE UP, IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Dudley's young voice almost sounded innocent to Harry._

 _There was the slam of doors then his cousin's footsteps appeared above him as he stampeded down the stairs, and Harry heard his aunt follow quickly after. She was humming a cheerful tune as she trotted passed Harry's door and into the living room where her whale of a son was already ripping into his presents, she was obviously more than prepared for Dudley's 5 o'clock wake up._

 _Harry and Dudley couldn't have been more than four at the time and it was the first-time Harry had noticed that not a single present under the tree had been addressed to him._

 _He remembered vividly now that Christmas eve. He and Dudley had excitedly counted the mountain of gifts beneath the Christmas tree and upon his realisation that none seemed to be for him, Harry had naïvely turned to Dudley and told him without doubt that there must surely have been a mistake, some of the presents must have been his._

 _His cousin's reaction had been instant and furious; he shoved Harry to the floor and ran wailing to his parents, the tails he was spinning to them likely as fake as his crocodile tears._

 _Harry however had merely stood himself back up and stood tall and sure, knowing he must be right and certain his aunt and uncle would agree. After all, how could Harry have no presents?_

 _Of course, they hadn't agreed with him, not at all. Looking back now, it was obvious that they wouldn't, but at the time Harry had been confused and putting it simply, heartbroken by their reactions._

 _They had been livid, and that was putting it lightly. Uncle Vernon had clouted him hard around the head, and Aunt Petunia had stormed up to him with a look of hate on her face and taken him by the shoulders. Her bony fingers bruising, as she shook him so hard he was sure his already throbbing head would fall right off. All the while she had been spitting a biting torrent of abuse, calling him an unwanted and nasty little boy._

 _Harry had then been thrown unceremoniously into his cupboard, where he had been left for the first time without proper food._

 _That was the moment Harry found himself in now._

 _The sounds of his family enjoying their Christmas without even a thought to him had disguised the sound of Harry's sobs. He remembered the emotions that had overwhelmed him on this long-forgotten Christmas._

 _The feeling of being alone and unloved, and more than that, the feeling of being hated by the only 'family' he had._

 _Harry recalled the wish he had made that day as he cried to himself. The one thing he wanted most._

 _His family._

* * *

The climb back to consciousness was slow and painstaking, spears of light set his head on fire and the way the whole world seemed to spin felt worse than any rough, storm ridden sea ever possibly could. He groaned as he fought the churning in his stomach.

Harry struggled to grasp a clear thought through the heavy haze that was his mind. His body was locked in a battle, simultaneously numb and alight; and despite being fairly certain he wasn't moving, Harry felt as though he was hurtling through the air on a broom that was spinning widely out of control.

"Shh, shh." Harry felt a warm weight land on his shoulder, squeezing gently and realised somewhat distantly that he had been making pained noises.

"Can you open your eyes, Harry?" A voice washed over him, it was calming but alert and wary. Harry did his very best to obey, focusing all his efforts on lifting his lids, but it was difficult; it was as if a hippogrith had sorely taken offence to his head and was currently stomping it in a fit of rage. He felt sick and confused, and ever so slightly soggy…

"Prof'ss'r?" Harry moaned, his throat was scratched and raw and his tongue just wouldn't co-operate. The darkness was disorientating, if only he could open his eyes.

There was a squelch of leaves as the man shifted somewhere to his right and another warm hand made contact with Harry, this time it ghosted across his cheek, almost cupping it. Harry saw movement across the darkness and he realised in a muddle that his eyes where already open.

Lupin's form was a darkened silhouette above him. The world was seemingly devoid of light, and Harry wasn't even sure if he was wearing glasses or not; regardless he shifted his head ever so slightly in an attempt to make sense of his surroundings.

Vaguely he could see figures surrounding them, they were everywhere; rows and rows of them, and they seemed to loom impossibly high. Too high.

"Sit up, come on. We may not have long." Lupin shifted again and before Harry could protest two strong hands carefully pulled him up so he was sitting.

"I'm sorry, Harry." Lupin said as Harry's world pitched and he had to close his eyes in an attempt not to vomit.

Harry swallowed something that tasted worryingly acidic. "Where'r we?" he groaned.

"Not sure, but we have to move. It's not safe." Lupin vanished from his side, and Harry felt suddenly vulnerable.

He looked about as best he could to try see where the man had disappeared to, cautious of the pain in the base of his skull.

The world around him still wasn't quite as stationary as Harry would have liked it to be, but he was feeling slightly more aware now. Squinting through the dark, Harry once more took note of the looming figures and realised that they weren't figures at all… at least not human ones. They were trees.

"Lupin?" Harry tried to call, his voice was still hoarse and gritty so it came out sounding more like a groan than anything else, but he was sure the man got the gist of it.

"Quiet, Harry. We must be quiet." Came the hushed but stern reply.

Harry looked towards the voice, spotting the man to his right. He was crouched over something large and Harry couldn't tell what it was in the dark, but Lupin's arms were moving frantically about and he was mumbling almost silently.

A few moments passed before the man stood once more, moving the few feet back to Harry.

"How's your head?" He asked when he was close enough to kneel beside him once more.

"S'good" Harry slurred, trying to give the professor a reassuring smile. The look on Lupin's face however, told Harry it might not have been as successful and he wanted it to be.

"Come on, there's a small cave just a few minutes away." Without much more warning, Harry was lugged to his feet. The harsh movement once again making his head spin and his stomach roll, he would have gone straight back on his face were it not for the strong hands gripping him.

"Merlin's balls…" Harry cursed. He wasn't usually one for swearing, Ron did so much of it after all that Harry felt there was usually no point but the world seemed to be doing somersaults, and it left Harry feeling more shook up than Hermione had been the time he had attempted the Wronski Feint.

"Yes, quite." Lupin said in reply and Harry swore he could hear a smile in the man's voice, it was certainty the lightest he'd heard it so far.

"We really need to get somewhere sheltered, quickly." Lupin added, voice once again all business as he wrapped his arm around Harry's waist and started forward. The pace was far too quick for Harry's wobbly legs.

Harry willed himself to find some steadiness, both in his legs and his head. The last thing he wanted was to vomit on Lupin's shoes, then take a nose dive into it.

Fighting the pain, Harry lifted his head, squinting into the darkness as they moved amongst the trees.

"What happened?" Harry asked, his mind still felt sluggish.

"I don't know" Lupin answered, serious as ever. Despite practically carrying Harry, he didn't sound much out of breath. "Something in the ministry… it was a trap." He shook his head at his lack of knowledge.

Ministry… Harry was sure he could remember something about the ministry but he couldn't be sure. His mind couldn't seem to settle on a clear thought.

"This is probably a trap as well…" The man carried on, startling Harry somewhat, who was becoming slightly lost in his mental efforts. "If we can get to the cave it will offer us some protection, I know these woods, that's at least something to our advantage." He paused for a moment. "Then I'll go back for Sirius."

"Sirius!" Now that was something Harry could understand. His exclamation gained him a solid 'shush!' from the older man but Harry couldn't bring himself to care as his mind suddenly jumped back to the dark shape Lupin had been kneeling over.

"Sirius. Where is he?" Harry tried keeping his voice low but he couldn't say if he had been successful or not.

"Back there, I couldn't wake him." Lupin said, his voice a forced even.

"We can't leave him!" Harry snapped, pulling against the man. His head was banging, and it only seemed to get worse the more he stressed but that didn't matter, Sirius mattered.

"Calm down Harry, and please be quiet!" Lupin pressed, sounding almost as harsh as Harry had ever heard him.

"But…" Harry once more tried tugging against the arms holding him but they didn't budge, Lupin merely marched on, seemingly paying him little attention.

"I couldn't wake him and I couldn't very well carry both of you, I don't have my wand" Lupin interrupted Harry before he could say any more. "The faster I get you up here, the faster I can get back to Sirius."

Harry wanted to argue further, he wanted to know if Sirius was alright at the very least, but perhaps Lupin was right, and if this was a trap he didn't want to draw any attention to Sirius' prone form. Instead he focused on putting one foot in front of the other, that alone was enough of a challenge right now.

Nothing about this situation was good and he really didn't like leaving Sirius, but Harry was having way too much trouble trying to figure anything out currently

After only a minute or so, Lupin slowed and Harry was silently thankful for it. The wood around them was still dark and muted, their feet making the only noise as they shuffled through rain sodden leaves. It really was a terribly dark night; there was barely any moon light here and Harry had to struggle to make out his surroundings. He had been putting his faith into Lupin completely; hoping the werewolf wouldn't accidentally walk them into a tree; his head was hurting enough already, thanks.

They had been standing in the same spot for nearly 30 seconds, Lupin seemed to be squinting just as much as he was, looking back and forth from where they stood.

"That's… that's not right…" He muttered, mostly to himself. Harry wasn't sure he could stand on his own and so he was glad when Lupin took his time carefully lowering him to the floor before moving away.

Harry's eyes struggled to adjust as he watched the man walk a few steps, stopping at an ancient looking tree, even in the dark Harry could make out its unusual shape; a mix of low and high branches and the way it tilted reminded Harry of the frozen Whomping Willow somewhat, as if someone had pressed a knot and suspended it in place.

The moments dragged on. Harry didn't say anything, although personally he thought there was more important things to be doing than hugging a tree, like getting Sirius' apparently unconscious body from the middle of a forest; but Harry told himself to trust the man, Lupin was a great DADA professor, the best they'd ever had; surely he knew what he was doing. Besides, thinking was getting harder and harder.

"This tree… it's not right" Lupin muttered, his voice sounding loud in the still. Harry shifted, the damp ground wasn't all that comfortable and his sickness seemed to be growing.

"Why? What's wrong with it?" Harry asked, feeling sleepier by the second. "Are we lost?" He said suddenly, to hazy to be truly panicked.

Lupin seemed to shake himself from wherever his thoughts had taken him and half jogged back to Harry. "No, the cave is just here" He waved to some point over his shoulder as he once more hefted Harry to his feet, eliciting the usually groans and curses from the boy.

Walking them quickly towards the cave, Harry could feel his limbs growing heavier, his only thought now being sleep.

"I've used these woods for transformations ever since I was a boy." Lupin's soft voice washed over Harry as he felt himself being laid down, something soft placed under his head to cushion it against the harsh ground.

"So whats'rong with'e tree then?" Harry slurred as he dozed further.

Lupin's unusual reply was one that Harry would later blame on the concussion.

"It's just strange..." Lupin said. "That tree was cut down years ago."


End file.
